The 12th step of Alcoholics Anonymous teaches me to recognize the change in myself, they call it a spiritual awakening. I call it learning to stop being selfish. The 12th step also teaches me to be giving of myself and when I do I will find it helps me to find genuine happiness and reward. It's often taught as a way for someone to get out of their own head when it can be filled with their own problems and help someone else. The result is your own problems seem to lessen even if it's only cause your not spending so much time focused on them. And the last thing the 12th step teaches to to continue to "practice" the principles I've learned.

Well I've been clean and sober for over two decades and I'm pretty happy most of the time and it's cause of what I've learned but more importantly it's been cause I apply that knowledge in my life.